


Ancient Magic: Miraculous One Shot #3

by QweenBeen



Series: Heads and Hearts: Tales of the Miraculous Ladybug & Chat Noir [4]
Category: Adrien Agreste - Fandom, Chat Noir - Fandom, Marinette Dupain Cheng - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Anger, Angst, Bitterness, F/M, Magic, Pining, daydream, love square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9883088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QweenBeen/pseuds/QweenBeen
Summary: Heads and Hearts Continued!Here are the others so this one makes sense!! Thanks so much for reading! <3http://archiveofourown.org/works/9205061/chapters/20882441http://archiveofourown.org/works/9652406http://archiveofourown.org/works/9707642





	

**Author's Note:**

> Phew sorry for the hold up on this one shot! It was not an easy one to write!

“Hey, LB.”

Ladybug zipped up beside him and scrunched her nose in disappointment. “Damnit, I can never sneak up on you, Chat.”

They sat perched on some mid level crossbeams of the Eiffel Tower, just high enough to get a clear view of streets and police sirens, but not so far up that everything was reduced to specs.

Chat saved those trips to the very top when he wasn't on patrol, when he was on his own. He could sit up there for hours and watch the city sparkle with life, as abundant as the stars in the sky.

When he sat there long enough, he almost forgot he was a part of the city itself. He imagined anything was possible from those heights, that he could be someone entirely different who lead a life without limits, without secrets. Without these millions of questions.

Everything was simpler up here. Like when he'd first become Chat Noir. The thrill of adventure and excitement was the only thing that had concerned him then. And falling in love. That had been pretty simple too.

It was only when both Adrien and Ladybug had made those secret feelings known, that everything became less simple. Complicated actually. Suddenly all the rules that they needed to play by interfered with their happiness.

Weren't those rules the only reason Ladybug had expressed her affection and then immediately shunned him? Why he couldn't just blurt out that he was Chat and that she didn't need to protect him?

It was their rule of secrecy that had bound him. He wasn't sure, since he was brand spanking new at all of this, but he was pretty sure hearts shouldn't have rules.

He glanced at Ladybug from the corner of his eye where she sat on a beam with him. He respected her, admired her, was still awestruck by her. In fact, nothing about her had changed except for what had happened between her and Adrien.

And yet she was an entirely different person to him now. Chat was amazed at how starkly different his feelings were in contrast to just mere months ago.

He had wallowed in self pity while Plagg moaned at his misery. He had brushed aside Nino, who only tried to cheer up his mysteriously forlorn best friend. All the world had turned gray and colorless, except for spots of red and black hovering behind his closed eyes.

And then it had all changed. He had changed. Everything _could_ actually be simple again. He saw now that love didn't need to be some unattainable mystery or some one-sided exercise in futility.

Love could be a mystery that unfurled with patience and care, revealing itself slowly but always eventually.

And now Marinette could be that mystery for him now. Except she was different. So much different than Ladybug. All he needed to do was ask her his questions and she could answer him. She didn't have anything to hide from him. He could learn her passions and her fears, her favorite songs and greatest aspirations. The prospect of learning more about her, of getting to know her, was a greater adventure than fighting off any akuma.

He could just imagine vaulting in through a window after a hard battle and landing straight into her arms like a content kitty, listening to her laugh that laugh, watching her blue eyes blaze.

Of course, she couldn't know he was a kitty. Or this particular kitty, anyway. That was a secret he was stuck with for now but maybe he could tell her one day. Ladybug upheld her secrecy like a badge of honor but he would never let it get in his way again.

Of course, there was still the little detail he had to take care of first. Asking her out. He'd promised himself he'd be careful this time. He just needed to know for sure that she truly liked him back. No more hunches, or guesses, or what ifs. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

But all of his musings would have to wait for now with Ladybug here. Maybe they'd get some excitement tonight to clear his head. There was nothing like saving Paris to still an anxious heart.

“Don't even try, Ladybug. It's totally im _paw_ ssible.” He scanned the horizon with his supernatural eyesight, searching for the telling signs of police sirens or alarms of any kind. “I have eyes like a hawk.”

Ladybug leaned back against a beam and dangled a leg lazily over the side.

“Don't you mean like a cat?” she teased, smirking over at him. She seemed to be in an odd mood tonight, happy and lighthearted, and totally not focused on scanning the city with him.

“Hawk cat. No--sounds like Hawkmoth. Yuck. _Cat hawk_.”

“Yeah okay, _cat hawk_ , you think you're soooo good? I accept your challenge.”

Chat glanced at her in momentary confusion before turning back to the city. “Uh...what challenge might that be, LB?”

“That I'll be able to sneak up on you and you'll never see or _hear_ me coming. You know, with those _cat hawk ears_.” She glanced at his cat ears as he twitched them and he twisted his lips in a rouge smile.

“You're on, LB. Just try not to be all _purr_ turbed when I'm the one who sneaks up on you first.” He winked and grinned, egging her on.

“Oh, I am so going to ruffle your fur! You are so screwed!” she said with a laugh, extending her hand for him to shake. “So what does the winner get?”

“Uh, respect?” he ventured with a shrug.

She brushed him off with a wave. “Oh please, we already respect each other. We need something _interesting_.” She tapped her gloved finger over her lips as she pondered their options with some serious consideration.

“More respect?” he offered helpfully. He really couldn't care less what the wager was. At least challenges made patrols more fun.

Her eyes suddenly lit up as she grinned at him. “How about we _share_?”

"Share? Like share a snack? Share feelings?"

Ladybug resumed dangling her leg lazily over the side of the beam and she shrugged casually. "You're always asking me what I'm like outside the mask. If you win, I'll share a detail about myself. If I win, you share a detail about yourself."

Chat hid his surprise with a quick scowl. Seriously, he'd just been thinking about was how crazy secretive she was, and she was actually going to break her own rule so easily? On a bet?

"Yeah, okay, but how does that work? You don't want to know any details about me," he pointed out.

"I'm trying to make it interesting for you, Chat. You can tell me whatever you want about yourself. Like your eyes are green, or something."

He turned to her and pointed at his magically enhanced peepers. "They _are_ green, LB."

"Oh, you know what I mean. So what do you say?" She crossed her arms and waited expectantly.

"And what if I'm not curious anymore?” The question popped out of his mouth like a hiccup, and he watched her smile immediately flip into a frown.

“Oh! Well...erm….” Her eyes started sliding all over the place except for him, and he felt guilty at just saying the first thing to come to mind.

She'd broken Adrien's heart, not Chat's. As far as she knew, he was still crazy about her. He'd have to tell her explicitly that things had changed at some point, maybe if Marinette said yes, but for now, he'd save her from embarrassment.

“Kidding,” he said quietly, smiling reassuringly. “So you'll tell me something cool, right? Not like you're a girl or something lame."

She grinned and snapped her fingers playfully. "Aw shucks, kitty! How'd you guess?" She punctuated her laughter with a quick stick of her tongue and shook her head. “Sure, I'll tell you something more _juicy_.”

Chat Noir gave her a thumbs up as he turned back to the city. It was so weird she was volunteering this that he really couldn't make heads or tails of it. Maybe he was still curious, but only just a _little_.

Sirens in the distance quickly caught his attention and he was relieved for a change in topic. Ladybug followed the top of his extended finger towards the lights, and she set her expression with that familiar determination.

“Looks like we have some action, LB. Ladies first,” he gestured with a courteous bow.

Ladybug aimed her yo-yo and quickly sped off, Chat vaulting off on his baton behind he. He let his heart race with the hopeful prospects of a bank robbery or a car chase. It was a weird thing to hope for but it would do a whole lot of good to help get his mind off things.

They perched on a nearby rooftop overlooking a single police car with silent sirens turning the little street into a light show. It was far less dramatic than Chat had hoped and no other cars, tires screeching wildly, seemed about to careen in as backup.

“Hey, I know this place,” Ladybug muttered, leaning in closer to hear better. They had made a rule during patrols to never interrupt the city police if they had a handle on a situation. Heros didn't always fly around in magical suits, after all. But it did require some patient reconnaissance on their part every once in a while.

Chat looked closer and saw two officers speaking to an elderly Chinese man in front of an Eastern medicine shop of some kind. No one seemed to be hurt and it just looked like the officers were asking the man some questions. It was so strange, but Chat was sure he'd seen him somewhere before....

“Lets go,” she said quietly, melting into the shadows of the rooftop before Chat could stop her.

He dropped down beside her onto the cobbles of a nearby ally and while they were quiet, the elderly man seemed to have heard them perfectly. He glanced their way quickly, his eyes glinting in the strobe lights of the car, and his behavior suddenly shifted from calm and collected to a flurry of arms and wild gesticulations.

“Please accept my humblest apologies, officers,” Chat heard him say quickly and impatiently. “And thank you for indulging a paranoid old man. I am so very sorry.”

There was more dialog back and forth as the officers insisted he call if he was worried about anything else, but they ultimately let themselves be shuffled off back to their police car.

When the cops had cleared the street, the old man turned to them and patiently waited for them to leave their shadowy hiding place. Ladybug practically bounded towards him, entirely confident and excited.

“Master Fu!” she cried. If he was hesitant before, now Chat was stunned dead in his tracks as she raced forwards. Who was this guy? Ladybug knew him but why didn't he? And why couldn't he shake off that nagging sense of familiarity?

“Are you alright?” she cried. “What happened? Why were the cops here?”

The old man smiled and bowed his head in greeting. “Ah, Ladybug. I am fine. It's good to see you again.” He peaked around her and smiled broadly at Chat Noir. “You too, Chat Noir. It is an honor to meet you transformed at last.”

“Uh…what?” _Transformed?_ Chat forgot his manners as he scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably and his gaze bounced back and forth between them.

Ladybug leaped towards him excitedly to make introductions. “Chat. Master Fu. Master Fu. Chat.” She then leaned towards him and whispered quietly, “He knows our identities.”

“Whaaat?!” Chat's voice reverberated so loudly in the little alleyway that he started a chorus of dog barks nearby. He stared agape at the old man, who only chuckled behind his hand and gestured for them to follow him inside.

“Perhaps it's best we don't wake the neighborhood, yes?”

“He knows who we are?” Chat whispered fiercely as they followed him in.

“Yeah. You'll see, he'll explain everything,” she whispered back. She may as well have spoken Martian for all the sense she was making right now.

Why couldn't she explain it? He'd trust her before some guy he didn't know. Especially a guy who knew who they were! And how was Ladybug not freaking out about this? Had she already had time to freak out? Keeping her identity secret was her favorite rule in the book after all.

They stepped into a darkened room lit dimly by candles scattered all around. Ladybug sat cross legged on a floor mat like she knew exactly where she was supposed to go. Master Fu took a seat on the floor across from her, and they both looked up at Chat expectantly.

“I'll stand, thanks.” He waved his paw dismissively, leaning against the door frame, as he scrutinized this Master Fu more carefully. He appeared mild enough, and not outwardly threatening, but who really knew. This could all be a trick. They could take him, he was sure of it....

“Master Fu, why were the cops here? Did you call them? Is everything okay?”

...except Ladybug seemed perfectly at ease.…

“Oh yes, um…that.” Master Fu looked away from her guiltily. “Well, you see, since I'm limited in my means of contacting you, I _might_ have fibbed about an intruder.…” Ladybug's jaw dropped in surprise and Chat felt a smirk stretch his lips. So he _was_ a tricky old man. “But only a little!” he quickly clarified.

“Master Fu, that's illegal!” Ladybug reprimanded him sternly. “You're keeping them away from doing their job!”

“Ugh, Ladybug, I agree!” He set about rubbing his forehead with his fingertips.“It was unacceptable. Perhaps we should have a signal?”

“Erm, like a bat signal?” she asked with a smirk.

“A bug signal! Excellent idea!” The reference was totally lost on the man. Ladybug grinned back at Chat where he stood.

“How about I give you the number to my yo-yo?” Ladybug ventured.

“Ah yes, even better,” Master Fu said cheerfully.

The brief silence between them roused Chat enough to blurt out one of the questions bouncing around his head like a cat high on the nip.

“How do you know who we are?” The _who are you_ and _what is this place_ would have to wait.

Master Fu turned to him and smiled, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. “I know much more than that, Chat Noir. So naturally, yes I know who you are. Did you never wonder how that little trinket appeared in your room?”

“Well yeah, but….”

Chat trailed off as he snatched the tail of a distant memory. It had been over a year ago now, but it still burned bright. The day he'd been thwarted from his first day of school.

“ _You…._ ” Master Fu just smiled, not offering anything helpful in his expression. “You! You'd fallen and I helped you!” Master Fu nodded slowly. Chat suddenly crinkled his noise. “Wait. You were in my _room_?”

At least the old man had the decency to flush. “Minor detail,” Master Fu said with a shrug. “But I'm pleased to see you are as fine a young man now as you were then.”

Chat ignored the complement as a thought suddenly tore through his mind, clawing it's way out as he turned an accusing glare at Ladybug. “You knew about all this, LB?!”

Ladybug twisted herself on the floor to face him, her eyes wide as saucers behind her mask.

“How long have you known, exactly?” he forged on before she could respond.

She wrapped her arms defensively around her legs, and she spoke quietly, almost pleadingly. “Not long, Chat. Just a few months. My kwame was sick once, and she told me to come here. I found a book a while ago....” She glanced at Master Fu for permission to continue and he nodded. “It was this book about all the different kinds of Miraculous and their powers. I brought it here to learn more.”

“Book?” Chat blinked at her slowly, his temper immediately cooling. Little pieces of a puzzle slowly fell into place around him. It had to be the book sitting at home right now. Somehow Ladybug had found it, Adrien's book, and had returned it to him. He had been suspicious the moment he'd seen it beneath his bed after he'd torn his room apart. But he hadn't imagined _Ladybug_ would've had it. That within those few frantic hours it had been lost, it had been _here_.

His anger suddenly flared at the thought that she had found it, had brought it here, and hadn't told him anything about it. It had been _months_ since that night!

“Yeah, but look, there was so much to it that you really needed to hear it all for yourself.” She'd read his mind, but it did little to pacify him.

Chat swallowed the hard lump rising in his throat. What exactly was so hard about her mentioning this to him months ago? She didn't have to go into explicit details about the thing. _Hey, check this out, kitty! I found a book that's about us._ But no. Nothing. He has idly flipped through those pages with a burning curiosity and Ladybug apparently knew all the answers.

“Chat, there is much I need to explain to you,” Master Fu said quietly, interrupting his darkening thoughts. “I am the Great Guardian of the Miraculous and Ladybug is right in this. _I_ need to be the one to tell you the history of who and what you are. What you're fully capable of is far beyond your imagining.”

Chat shifted where he stood, looking guiltily at both of them. The tension hung in the room as they watched and waited for him to react.

Chat only sighed heavily and nodded, conceding momentarily. His bitterness wouldn't let go of him, but it looked like Master Fu had bigger fish to fry than an angry superhero.

“You're here now,” Ladybug whispered quietly, trying to reassure him, but it only caused the knot within him to tighten.

“Indeed. And I called you here for a reason.” Master Fu bounced his gaze between the two of them for a moment. “Am I correct that you do not know each other's identities?”

Ladybug nodded and Chat crossed his arms as a reply.

“It's...better that way, I suppose. _Maybe_.” He stroked his little white beard as he considered something. “Perhaps the less you know about the other, the better. Were Hawkmoth to learn your identities, it would not just put yourselves in danger, but anyone you loved as well.”

Chat Noir fought back a grimace. This night was just getting better and better. Sure, he'd only been toying with the idea of telling Marinette, but now even toying with the thought would make him feel guilty.

“We're keeping it that way, Master Fu,” Ladybug assured him. “We understand the risks.” Chat thought he might have heard a hint of regret in the way she said it.

“Good, good. Now for the fun stuff.” He clapped his hands once and rubbed them together excitedly. “Wayzz!”

The way he said it made Chat think it was a magic spell, but a second later, a little green turtle kwame came whizzing out of a back room and hovered hear his master's head.

“Woah! You have a Miraculous too?” Chat stood up straighter at this turn of events. _Great Guardian_ hadn't meant anything when he'd said it, but if he was a Miraculous holder, that made things a lot more interesting.

Master Fu nodded with a smile as his kwame flitted up towards Chat.

“It's an honor to finally meet you, Chat Noir.” Wayzz bowed his head so low and respectfully that Chat was momentarily uncomfortable by his formality.

“Uh...thanks?” He cocked his head like a cat discovering a curious mouse. “You too?”

“How is Plagg?” he asked cheerfully. “I haven't seen him in years.”

“Oh, he's okay, I guess.” Chat wrinkled his nose and shrugged. “Loves his stinky cheese.”

Wayzz smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “You should have seen him when they first invented camembert. We couldn't get him out of those cellars for weeks.”

Chat Noir chuckled and cracked his first smile since he'd arrived. “Sounds like him.”

“Hello, Wayzz. It's good to see you,” Ladybug cut in. She turned to Chat tentatively. “So your Kwame's name is Plagg, Chat? Mine's Tikki.” She was clearly still attempting to make peace, so Chat forced a smile to placate her.

“It is nice to see you, Ladybug. Please tell Tikki I said hello.” Wayzz floated back to Master Fu, looking at Chat as he lowered onto his master's shoulder. “Come by some time untransformed, Master Chat Noir. It would be very nice to see my old friend again.”

Chat frowned and shifted uncomfortably.  
The thought of coming here without his transformation was a little nerve-wracking, but if Ladybug could pull it off....

“Back to the matter at hand. I was left with... _eh hem_... _copies_ of an ancient text.”

Master Fu arched a scolding eyebrow at Ladybug who, after whatever silent exchange they had, looked away and blushed profusely.

“It's a text I have been searching for these many years,” he continued as Wayzz handed him a few loose pages. They literally looked like photocopies, Chat noticed. It looked like Ladybug had gone through the trouble of photocopying his father's entire book before returning it to him.

“I had the chance to review them carefully in the hopes I could provide you with the means to defeat Hawkmoth once and for all.” Chat and Ladybug perked up and watched him intently as Master Fu stared at a page in his hands. “However, I'm afraid I have only found means to make you stronger, not weaker.”

“Stronger isn't bad,” Chat remarked, stepping forward as his curiosity momentarily got the better of him. This might actually be a fortuitous visit after all.

“That is what I thought too. If there is another tome somewhere out there for weaknesses, perhaps someone can photocopy it for me.” Master Fu winked at Ladybug playfully this time. “In the meantime, how does new powers sound?”

“That would be amazing!” Ladybug stood up and went to help Master Fu in his effort to stand, Chat coming up behind her.

He laid out the two pages, each with a skillfully sketched version of themselves. “Ladybug, may I see your yo-yo?”

Ladybug hesitated for only a moment before handing it to him. Chat could practically feel her buzz with excitement beside him.

Master Fu looked at her page once more before closing his eyes. The words he recited boomed and echoed with supernatural amplification, the power of it causing them to stagger back. Indecipherable words thundered in Chat's chest and tickled his clenched jaw. Within a minute, a bright flash of pink lit up the room and momentarily blinded them.

“There.” Master Fu handed the yo-yo back in the sudden silence that followed. “You now have the power of transformation, Ladybug.”

“Transformation? To what?” she asked curiously, staring at her yo-yo which looked no more special than it had before.

Master Fu lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “Guess.” Ladybug looked down at her yo-yo as realization slowly dawned. “Say _Lucky bug_ and you will transform. Very useful when in a tight spot or you need the element of surprise.”

Ladybug furrowed her eyebrows. “I can be a _bug_.” She chewed on her lower lip in silent contemplation. She couldn't seem to decide how incredibly useful her power would be. “Can I change back and forth as many times as I want? Or does my countdown start?”

“That I don't know. You will have to test it to see. I recommend practice, seeing as you've never had _wings_ before.”

“What if I'm a ladybug when I transform?”

“Then you will be a very small girl.” He managed to say it gravely and chuckled at the horror on her face. “Kidding. You will be just as you were. Don't worry, Ladybug.”

"Don't worry, LB. I'm sure it'll be meow-velous." Chat looked expectantly at his own page, his mood lifting at the prospect before him. New was always exciting, and if he could transform.... "Anything fun for me? Can I turn into a real cat? A panther? Those are cool. Ooo or can I call an army of cats? A cat-valcade! A cat-avan of cats!”

Master Fu smirked up at him and glanced at Ladybug. "Is he always so punny?" he asked lightly.

"Oh he's _hiss_ terical," Ladybug joked with a wave.

Master Fu held out his hand and Chat placed his baton reverently in his grip. He glanced down at the drawing of an ancient Chat Noir and repeated the ritual once more. The booming words had the same effect on them but ended with a bright flash of green this time.

“Here you are, Chat Noir.” Chat accepted the baton and turned it over in his hands. He searched for the new button that would assist his cool transformation.

“I'm afraid you aren't destined to be a panther today, Chat Noir,” Master Fu chuckled. “But you do now have the power of bestowing _bad luck_.”

“What?!” Chat's jaw dropped and he stared blankly at Master Fu. He must not have heard right. Bad luck wasn't a power, it was a thing that sucked. “Bad luck? Seriously?”

" _Fur_ real," Master Fu said with a chuckle. Chat found it highly unfunny.

“Wow, now you really are my opposite, Chat,” Ladybug pointed out as she scrutinized his baton too.

“Opposite? Why couldn't you just give me red polka dots on my suit? I have enough bad luck as it is!” He stared blankly at the baton and shook his head. "What does that even mean?"

“Much as Ladybug has lucky charms to aid her, you can now evoke bad luck to thwart Akuma victims.”

"Like how?"

Master Fu gestured to the room. "Try it. You may use it limitlessly. Just touch something and think...I don't know...bad thoughts?"

What the hell did that mean? Chat looked around the dim room, sending a passing glance at Ladybug who just shrugged. He settled for the chair by his fingertips and touched it. It wasn't a far reach to think dark thoughts. Ladybug's blatant disregard for him wasn't far from his mind.

The little wooden chair, perfectly sturdy a moment ago, suddenly popped one of it's legs and toppled over with a loud crash.

"What the hell?" Chat jumped back and stared at it as if it had come to life.

"Oh damn," Master Fu mumbled as Ladybug picked the chair back up slowly, mildly stunned. "Okay, enough testing."

"Wow," Ladybug mumbled, trying to fit the leg back into it's socket beneath the seat. "Just don't use that when I'm a bug, okay? I might get stepped on."

Chat gasped and she just laughed. “I'm kidding. I can't be stepped on!” Her grin froze on her face when she turned to Master Fu. “Can I?”

He shrugged unhelpfully. “Just mind where you land, Ladybug." Master Fu sighed heavily and suddenly looked very tired. The spells must have done a number on him because he took a seat on the little mattress in the room and closed his eyes slowly.

"All of this is well and good. I am happy to provide you with aid when I can. But without the original copy of the book, I cannot guarantee that Hawkmoth or someone else won't enhance their own powers."

"But I thought you're the only one who can read any of this?" Ladybug asked in alarm.

"Anything can be learned, Ladybug. Even a long dead language."

Ladybug looked down at the floor, concern furrowing her brow. "I'm sure it'll be fine where it is, Master Fu."

"Where did you take it, Ladybug?" He asked the question gently enough, but Chat knew it had been hanging between them since they'd arrived. The guilt on her expression even made Chat uncomfortable.

"It's somewhere safe. I'm sure of it." She didn't seem ready to elucidate on her cryptic answer. If Chat chimed in to confirm she was right it would be a dead giveaway, so he stayed silent and watched Master Fu shake his head sadly.

"Nothing is truely safe. That is why the world needs you." He took another deep breathe and closed his eyes again. "Do you have any more questions?"

He looked more ready to take a nap than answer any of their questions, but Ladybug and Chat glanced at eachother one more time to confirm that they were ready to leave.

"I think we've taken up enough of your time, Master Fu. Thank you for everything."

* * *

They had made it a few blocks away, when Chat found that he couldn't possibly stay silent much longer. Ladybug seemed eager to get home and try her new ability, but he couldn't go another night without clearing the air.

“LB, can I ask you a question?”

Ladybug paused and turned, her yo-yo stopping by her side. “Sure, what's up?”

Chat shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. “Why didn't you tell me you'd found that book? Or about Master Fu?”

She had seen this question coming by his behavior earlier, but she still sighed and considered her words carefully. “I told you. I knew you'd meet him sooner or later and it was best coming from him.”

“Yeah, I heard you both say that. But we're _partners_. We tell each other everything.”

“I really don't see what the big deal is, Chat. You _met_ him, didn't you? This is a moot point now.”

“No it really isn't,” he insisted stubbornly, his voice rising in the night. He didn't know what was coming over him, but it was definitely a first. “It's kind of a big deal if you find a _book_ about us, right? Or if you learn all this cool amazing stuff about us?  
And jeez, LB, I could've met Master Fu _months_ ago! Plagg could've seen his buddy again _that_ much sooner. He's the only person who knows who we are under these masks! You know how awesome that is? But instead I'm caught by surprise tonight and it turns out you've known about him for _months_?”

Ladybug's eyes widened and her brows furrowed beneath her mask. “Chat, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think it was that big of a deal to wait --”

“That's the problem isn't it? You think it's not a big deal to you, so it must not be a big deal to me?”

“That's not what I was saying, Chat!” she cried, stomping her foot in frustration. “It's not a big deal that you found out a little later. Of course all of this is a big deal! It's _ancient magic_ we're dealing with! And I'm not equipped to even begin to explain the importance of it all!”

Chat crossed his arms stubbornly and glared at her. “Then we could've been ill-equiped together! We could've gone to see him _together_ and learned about it _together_! But you just went on your own. If he hadn't called us tonight, were you ever going to bother telling me?"

“Yes, I would've told you! Of course I would've told you!" She lowered her voice, and shook her head. "I should've told you, okay? I made a mistake. I'm sorry.”

Chat deflated and looked down at the gravelly roof they had stopped on. "You're so caught up in your secrets, LB, you don't even realize who you can open up to. I don't even think you realize who you hurt because of them."

Chat drew out his baton and stepped towards the edge of the roof. This wasn't about just tonight and he knew it. This is what happened when his resentment stayed bottled up for months. All it needed was a spark. Ladybug, for all her good intentions, made mistakes that he, Chat or Adrien, took the brunt of.

"I'm so sorry, Chat Noir. I didn't know this would mean so much to you."

“There's a lot you don't know about me, Ladybug.” He turned his head but kept her in his peripherals. She stood stiffly and awkwardly, the confident heroine suddenly entirely unsure of herself. “Because you've never asked.”

He didn't wait for her reply. With his baton extended, he zipped across the rooftops and into the darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading! <3 
> 
> Next up: Flour Power!


End file.
